Unbeaten bluebloods set to face off at The Valley
Two regally-bred fillies will make their eagerly-anticipated return to the races this Saturday, but only one can leave Moonee Valley with their unbeaten record intact as Kia Ora Stud-owned duo Esha (Extreme Choice) and Samudra (Snitzel) commence their spring campaigns in the same 1000-metre contest.
Purchased for a combined $1.675 million as yearlings, the pair both have blue blood running through their veins with their respective dams, I Am A Star (I Am Invincible) and Pippie (Written Tycoon), having collected 12 stakes wins between them.
Given Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) and Pippie have now both passed, Samudra is already an incredibly precious commodity. But, if the Mark Walker-trained filly can pick up where she left off and add a Saturday metropolitan win to her maiden victory as odds-on favourite at Sandown in mid-May, her stock would increase considerably.
Having praised Samudra’s tenacity on debut, Ben Melham has handed over the reins to his wife Jamie in Saturday’s $150,000 contest for three-year-olds, with the pair set to jump from the inside gate. The Shane Nichols-trained Esha, who has Damian Lane in the saddle for the first time, maps to get an ideal run from barrier four and the early betting market is also firmly in her favour, having opened the even–money favourite.
Luke Wilkinson, Kia Ora’s racing manager, was keen to keep his cards close to his chest when asked which way he might be leaning on Saturday but did concede that, in an ideal world, the team would have preferred to keep their prized pair apart upon their return to the races.
However, their paths will diverge after Saturday’s pipe-opener, with Esha likely to line up in the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) second-up—provided Sydney’s big wet has subsided by then—whereas Samudra is set to stay closer to home and contest the Atlantic Jewel Stakes (Listed, 1200m) back at The Valley in early September.
The outcome of Saturday’s race will in all likelihood dictate their next moves, but Wilkinson is confident both will acquit themselves well, having derived plenty of benefit from their winter break.
“They came back from their spells in great order and both also trialled really well, which was pleasing to see,” Wilkinson told ANZ News.
“They both stayed at the same farm in Victoria, which made it easier to keep an eye on them. We considered a few options for them first-up but in the end Saturday’s race looked the most suitable kick-off point for them both. It’s obviously not ideal for them to be taking one another on, but it’s likely to be the only time they do face each other this prep.
“We’ll look to take Esha up to Sydney, she’s got that Extreme Choice temperament and she handled the trip to and from Adelaide really well on debut, so we’ve got no concerns about the travel with her. She won her debut very convincingly, we also race the runner-up [Chisholm] who started the odds-on favourite and we have a high opinion of her, so to see Esha beat her easily was very impressive.
“Samudra was very tough on debut, she looked to be beaten but she dug really deep, which bodes well for her future. So they both look stakes quality, clearly we’ll know more after Saturday but they’re both in very good stables which will certainly help them along the way.
“We really hope they can add some black type to their page this season, and with their pedigrees we would obviously love to add them to Kia Ora’s broodmare band after they have finished their careers. We own Esha in partnership with her breeder Matthew Sandblom and Samudra in partnership with TFI (Tony Fung Investments), so the decision won’t only be up to us but given their breeding and performances so far, they would be valuable additions to any farm.”
Shane Nichols will be hoping to put any talk of retirement on hold for at least another season or two, with the Mornington horseman firmly of the belief that, while Esha may not reach the dizzying heights scaled by her dam, she still has all the attributes needed to ensure a fruitful racing career.
Such is his faith in the filly, Nichols had initially contemplated throwing her in at the deep end and taking on some crack contenders in next Saturday’s Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield, a race I Am A Star won for him some nine years ago before breaking through at Group 1 level in the Myer Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) over the Flemington mile.
However, with Esha having only tasted competitive action on one previous occasion—albeit strolling to victory by three-and-a-half lengths on debut at Morphettville—her trainer ultimately erred on the side of caution.
While noting that she will inevitably improve after Saturday’s test, Nichols is nonetheless adamant his young charge is fit and forward enough to preserve the unblemished start to her career.
“Saturday is clearly a step up from the competition she faced on debut, but we do feel she’s improved since then,” said Nichols, who outlaid $900,000 in partnership with Kia Ora and publishing magnate Sandblom to secure the filly at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
“She’s not a big robust filly by any means, but you can see she has matured physically in her time off. She didn’t have a long break and she’s very clean-winded, so even though there will be improvement to come I do expect her to be very competitive first-up.
“She performed well in both her jump-outs and worked nicely on the course proper here at Mornington on Tuesday, so if she gets rolled on Saturday I won’t be using a lack of fitness as an excuse, because she’s done enough in the build-up to present well.
“We’ll then look to raise the bar with her, obviously the key to any future success will be seeing if she can stretch out to 1200 metres. I’ve got no reason to think she won’t, because she’s a very relaxed filly so she doesn’t expend too much energy in her runs.
“We did consider the Quezette first-up, but I just felt she may not be quite seasoned enough at this stage of her career to be taking on some really good fillies with a bit more race experience on their side. But if she wins or runs well on Saturday, then we’ll definitely be chasing some stakes races with her.
“Provided the rain has stopped by then, the Silver Shadow would be a good option for her, partly because some of the better Sydney fillies may not be back at the races at that early stage. She didn’t miss a beat when she went to Adelaide so the travel won’t be a major issue for her, and she’s worked well the Sydney way of going on her home track.
“Because she’s up and going early, we might even look to back off her a little bit and potentially chase some targets towards the back end of spring, but we’ll get through Saturday first then plot our path from there.”
Esha is currently the only horse carrying Kia Ora’s light and dark blue colours in Nichols’ stable, but if the filly can continue to flourish he is hoping it might herald the start of a blossoming partnership with the Scone institution—both on the track and in the sales ring.
Given the relatively small size of his stable, certainly in comparison to some of the training goliaths currently operating in the sphere, Nichols doesn’t have the funds at his disposal to lavish large sums at the sales, hence requiring Kia Ora’s backing to fund Esha’s purchase.
I Am A Star was given the year off by Newgate Farm, who purchased her from Sandblom for $1.5 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale back in 2019, but Henry Field’s famed operation will offer Esha’s sister at next year’s sales, with Nichols sure to be an avid onlooker when she enters the auditorium.
“It’s great that Esha is showing plenty of promise for such a prominent organisation as Kia Ora, because we’d obviously love to have their continued support moving forward,” said Nichols.
“I always look out for I Am A Star’s progeny at the sales, so if we really like the full-sister to Esha and we could find someone like Kia Ora to go in with us, then I’ll definitely be throwing in a bid or two. Having said that, if we can get some black type with Esha, then it might make her sister unobtainable for us. So it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, but it would be a nice problem to face.”